A Bad Day At School
by Luminescify
Summary: Souta comes home with a rotten mood. Surprisingly, Inuyasha decides to talk to Souta about it. What unfolds in their conversation?


**It's been some time since I've published anything new, and when this idea popped into my head, I decided to put it down immediately! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading, as always. **

**Leave a review if you feel so inclined; I'd be very grateful. :)**

**I don't own Inuyasha. **

**A Bad Day At School**

Inuyasha slouched on the couch in Kagome's living room, mentally trying to calculate how long it would be until she was let out from her school. He was going soft...she didn't even have to _sit _him to let her come home this time. To make up for going soft, he was waiting in her time- to get her back as soon as possible. Her mother was in the kitchen as always, and her batty old grandfather was poring over some scroll at the table.

Kagome's mother had put the television on for him a while back to keep him entertained and he disdainfully eyed the large gray box. He could never quite wrap his head around the moving pictures and what they said never made sense to him anyway. He snorted as a girl despaired over her wardrobe and let his mind wander back to Kagome and when she would return.

"Shouldn't Souta be home now?" wondered aloud Mrs. Higurashi and the old man grunted in assent.

"Probably playing," said Mrs. Higurashi, shrugging, and proceeded to do whatever it was she did in the kitchen.

About twenty minutes later, Inuyasha noticed that Mrs. Higurashi looked a little worried and so he sniffed a little. His nose told him that the young boy was heading towards the shrine and he reassured her saying, "He's on his way."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Higurashi gratefully, smiling at Inuyasha.

A short ten minutes later, they all heard Souta's footfalls on the steps leading up to the house. He let himself in, and Inuyasha immediately realized that his scent wasn't quite the same as usual. His breathing was heavier than normal and his appearance was slightly dishevelled.

"Souta, what took you so long? I was getting worried," called out Mrs. Higurashi, her tone mildly reproachful.

"Nothing," mumbled Souta.

"Hey, Souta, want to help me dig through the new stock? I think you'll like it!" said his grandfather, looking up from his scroll.

"No," came the response from halfway up the stairs.

"Aw come on, Souta! We've been waiting for it all week and I've been waiting for you the whole day!"

"I said no! Leave me alone, grandpa!" yelled Souta from his room in an uncharacteristically harsh manner.

All three of them downstairs looked up from what they were doing in alarm and surprise. Mrs. Higurashi began untying her apron and was about to follow her son, when Inuyasha abruptly got up and went to her.

"Can I...?" he asked, blunt as ever, but with a hesitant look on his face.

'Oh, of course, Inuyasha dear... go right ahead."

Inuyasha had no idea what he had been thinking when he had asked to go talk to Souta, except that the kind of hurt that he saw flash in the kid's eyes and the subtle shift in his scent reminded him, quite painfully, of his own childhood.

He was up the stairs and at Souta's door in no time. He leaned against the door and called out in a low voice, "Kid?"

"Go away," was the muffled response.

Inuyasha sighed and said "Souta, is okay if I come in? It's just me."

Taking the silence as assent, Inuyasha entered Souta's room. He had never really been in his room before and looked around. It was loud and colourful and cheery, and very Souta. The walls were papered with posters and drawings, some of his toys were littered by his bed, and his bedspread was printed with some characters that Inuyasha recognized from some television show.

Souta was hunched on his bed, his face turned resolutely away from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha chose not to say anything, but slowly walked about the room, looking at all of Souta's crayon drawings. He tapped one drawing of him with a claw tipped finger and remarked, "This is pretty good."

Ignoring the continued silence, Inuyasha carried on with his inspection of Souta's handiwork and stopped now and then to compliment a drawing that he liked. Slowly, Souta's posture began to relax. When Inuyasha was done looking at everything he could possibly have looked at, he leaned against Souta's desk, facing him.

Finally, he looked into Souta's eyes and asked nonchalantly, "So how was school, kid?"

"Mm." Replied Souta noncommittally, avoiding his eyes.

"Everything go alright?"

"Hm,"

"Did your sensei screw you over?"

"No,"

"Okay. Good. How are your friends?"

"What friends?" burst Souta, his eyes suddenly filling with tears.

"What happened, kid? C'mon, tell me." said Inuyasha gently.

"There's nothing to tell!" said Souta, angrily dashing his tears away with the back of his hand.

"Hey," said Inuyasha, taking a few steps forward and hunkering down so he was at eye level with Souta. "It's okay."

"It's not! I don't want to go to school anymore, I hate them all! I don't have friends anymore, they're all mean bullies!"

"Did anyone hit you?" asked Inuyasha, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave.

"No. I'm not as good as the other guys on the sports field, because I'm so short, so no one wants me on any team. I always get picked last, and that's okay with me because I know I'm not that good, but now no one wants to talk to me in class. No one sits next to me in class, except for Kinjiro and they're all mean to him too. They call us wimps and laugh at us all the time."

"What happened today, Souta?"

"Today was just worse. They took my stuff and played keep-away with it. Everything flew everywhere, including all my homework, which I'd worked hard on. I lost my new pencils too...I didn't see where they landed. And Kinjiro wasn't in school today, so I was all by myself the whole day. I hate them, Inu-no-niichan, I hate them so much!" Souta's voice cracked with the strain, and his face twisted with emotion.

Inuyasha's entire body stiffened as he listened to the small boy in front of him pour out his tale of woe and his face grew rigid with anger.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A little while now."

"Didn't you tell anyone?"

"No."

"Why not, Souta? Your mom might have done something...or even Kagome or the old gramps."

"What, and be known around as a tattletale? No way! And, besides..."

"Besides, what?"

Souta suddenly looked into Inuyasha's eyes beseechingly and as his tears spilled over, said "What if I really am I wimp? What I actually am good for nothing? I'm crying in my room like a sissy and I'm just thinking, what if they're right?"

Shocked at what Souta had just said, Inuyasha was quick to respond, "No way, kid. You're _not _good for nothing. Those ass-, I mean, those jerks don't have a clue what they're talking about it. You don't listen to a word of it, you hear me?"

Sniffling, Souta asked, "How do you know?"

Inuyasha hesitated for a minute, memories of being stoned, locked up, and having abuses hurled at him clouding over his eyes. Then deciding that Souta needed to hear it, Inuyasha took a deep breath and confided, "I know, because I was bullied when I was a kid."

"_You_?" gasped Souta, finding the thought of his big, strong and adored Inuyasha ever being bullied unimaginable.

"Yeah," said Inuyasha with a rueful shrug.

"But, _why_?"

"Well, where I come from, people don't really like me. I'm not a full youkai, I'm a hanyou." Inuyasha flicked an ear and a small smile quirked his mouth when Souta's eyes widened in dawning realization.

"But that doesn't matter!" defended Souta stoutly.

"I know that now. But people are strange that way. They can be really cruel and say things that hurt you. You know, it doesn't matter if you're not as tall as the other guys, or that you're not as good as them on the field... I'll bet you're smarter than all of 'em put together." Inuyasha ruffled Souta's hair.

"What did you do about it?"

"Well, when I was a kid, I tried hiding at first and then I hit back. I gave it back to them pretty good..."

"You're saying I should hit them?"

Inuyasha thought about the days when he lashed out at every human that ever crossed his path and when he only hid among the branches of trees, foraging for food. And then he thought of Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara and Kaede. He thought of how he walked about with his head held high these days and he knew what to tell Souta.

"No, you didn't let me finish. Hitting did me no good, 'cause it meant that I was just as bad as them. It didn't solve anything. I've figured now that you just have to stick to the people who matter, and don't listen to those who don't. Those fools calling you a wimp doesn't mean you are on. Feel sorry for them because the only way they're able to feel good about themselves is by putting someone else down. Stick to this Kinjiro kid, he sounds okay. And you always have your mama, your gramps, and Kagome. And you have me."

"Really?" asked Souta in a trembling voice.

"Yeah, kid. Tell you what... why don't I walk you to school tomorrow? I'll growl at those boys if you want." said Inuyasha with a wink.

Souta laughed and suddenly lunged forward to hug Inuyasha. He wrapped his arms tight around Inuyasha and mumbled, "Thanks, Inu-no-niichan.". Inuyasha's brows shot up in surprise at first and then he hugged Souta back, the look in his eyes softening.

Souta pulled away after a moment and said, "I better get washed up. Mama doesn't let me eat if I haven't cleaned up after school. And then I gotta go help grandpa...he's right; I _have _been waiting for the new stock! And then maybe I'll go to Kinjiro's and see how he's doing. And I was thinking my wall needs a few new drawings..."

"Slow down, kid!" laughed Inuyasha, happy to see him bounce back that fast.

Inuyasha sauntered out of Souta's room, a grin on his face, when he saw Kagome coming up the stairs with a grumpy look on her face.

"Inuyasha," she said wearily when she saw him, "I know you want to leave _right now_, but I'm really tired and I need at least half an hour. There was a test in school today and I didn't know a thing! And I need to get some new stuff-"

Inuyasha's heart gladdened when he saw her and his throat constricted a little when he thought of how much he owed her. He cut her off mid-sentence and said, "Kagome, we're leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" asked Kagome incredulously. "Are you feeling okay?" she said as she felt his forehead.

"Keh, I'm fine!" he replied, swatting her hand away. "I'm taking Souta to school tomorrow, that's all."

"Okayy..." said Kagome, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Hey Kagome,"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what, baka?"

"Well, being there for me."

At that Kagome began pinching his cheek, tugging at his forelock, and generally poking and prodding him.

"Hey, watch it wench! What are you doing?"

"You can't be Inuyasha," said Kagome, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Who is this nice person who's replaced my surly Inuyasha?"

"Keh. Shut up, wench." said Inuyasha with a small smirk.

Kagome laughed as he went in her room to change. Inuyasha chuckled to himself and went downstairs. He had time...maybe Kagome's mother would make him some Ramen.


End file.
